Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1887-11-12
THE USE OF COFFEE.
HOW THE BERRY DISPUTES THE
SUPREMACY OF TEA AND BEER.

Coffee In European Countries - The
Arabs Method of OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
Coffee-what BrilIat savarin says-Ef-
fects OF Excessive Indulgence.
The use of coffee is general in all civil
ized countries, but its preparation and
consumption vary considerably. Among
the Arabs it is universal, whether in such
centers Of civilization as Cairo, Alexan-
dria and Algiers, or In the desert. The
only exceptions are caused by the poverty
which prevents its purchase. In France
It is the favorite beverage, though tea is
growing In power. The social and COM
mercial effects In that country OF its sud-
den humiliation car readily be imagined.
Tens OF thousands OF cafes and a million
OF people would find their occupation
gone, and several millions Of Frenchmen
would be seen wandering about after din
ner In an utterly homeless and distracted
manner. In England tea still disputes
the supremacy of the Arab berry. In
Germany it divides the honors with beer,
and in Austria, Spain and Italy il is q
solace and inspiration of the people In
town and city. There is no European city
SO small, no village SO contemplate, that
1T has not its cafe modelled, though it Is
often an exceedingly weak imitation, on
those OF the Paris boulevards.
In the United States its use varies In
different localities. A quarter of a CEN
fury ago it was the ordinary accompani-
ment OF the first meal Of the day, tea
being generally served at the evening re-
past. In the eastern states this practice
continues. In the western and southern
states coffee is more esteemed, and in the
rural districts is considered absolutely
necessary to the three meals a day of the
farming classes. In large American cities
where there is a late dinner, in the French
fashion, coffee Is either served at table or
in the drawing room Immediately after
ward.
In oil countries, even in France, good
coffee Is the exception rather than the
rule. The visitor in Paris drinks 'real
French coffee" technically so called, at
certain places only on the boulevard and
here and there In other parts of the city
at hotels and restaurants. In England
poor coffee is the rule, following in this
respect the general inferiority of the
British cuisine. In Germany coffee is
generally good at restaurants and railroad
buffets, while at the principal cafes OF the
great cities Of Austria-Vienna, Prague
and Buda-P esth-it is excellent and often
served with cream. At the great cafes of
Italian and Spanish towns it Is rarely
more than fair.
In England and America coffee is usually
made by infusion; on the continent al
most always by altering boiling water
once or twice through tho powdered
berry. The Arabs at Cairo and elsewhere
-
simply pour boiling water on to the pow
dered coffee, and after a minute or two's
simmering serve II with the grounds
The pot, which is not covered, is of cop
per or brass, tapering toward the top like
a tin teapot and having a long handle.
The berry has been previously roasted
and brayed in a mortar. 1t is never
ground. Brillat Savarin, in his learned
work, The Physiology OF Taste" says
that coffee powdered in this manner is the
best, and he adds that, having n quantity
OF the roasted berry, ne divided IL into
two equal parts, one Of which he br2yed
In n mortar and the other ground in q
mill. The coffee was made 10y filtration,
and a company OF connoisseurs to whom
he submitted IL al declared that best,
which they were atterward told had been
powdered in the mortar.
The Arabs employ wooden pestles,
which, after long use, are sold at n high
price. Five or six minutes are oil that
ore necessary for the Arabs or Turks 10
prepare their coffee after it Is once roasted.
All that is necessary is the simple ma
chinery dc~scribed-a brass pot, q handful
Of charcoal in q window seat or on the
ground, and the beverage is promptly
made and served. Travellers invariably
speak Of Arab and Turkish coffee as ex-
cellent, but among civilized rations the
presence OF the grounds Is always consid-
cred Objectionable, and some means of
Qualification are invariably used, such as
the patent pots for infltration or the
white Of eggs, where the process is by in
fusion.
Brillat Savarin, after having tried ell
methods Of making coffee, declared that
the most efficient for preserving the aroma
and avoiding the extraction OF the poison
Gus principle was by filtration. But he
always speaks Of coffee as a beverage, TO
be used dlscreetly by adults and forbid
den to children. In small quantities n
not too strong, it is a healthy stimulus to
the nerves. Used in excess, it produces
disease and sometimes deformity. He
once saw in Leicester square in London a
man who, by its immoderate use, had be-
come q cripple. He had lost all sensation
in his limbs-had ceased TO suffer, but
still continued to drink it to the extent Of
five or six cups a day.
Every person should be governed In its
use by its effect on himself. AS a gentle
inspiration 1t is valuable. 1t may some
times be safely drank as an aid to intel
lcctual labor. Taken at the proper
moment, it will prevent a headache re-
sulting from nervous depression. Properly
used after dinner, it aids the digestion and
counteracts the heavy effects Of wine or
other stimulants. But IL 1T is found that
1t prevents sleep when taken late in the
day. or that il is an absolute necessity at
certain hours to prevent a nervous reac-
ton or mental dizziness, its use should be
discontinued for several days, or until the
system Is restored TO its normal condition.
1t must never be forgotten that sleep Is
the great stimulus of the body; is tired
natures sweet r~estorer, and that other
stimulants, though sometimes useful, are
like medicines, temporary remedies-tha
is to say, they are usually TO be regarded
as a choice between two evils. Coffee is a
beverage Of great power. A man might
drink two bottles of good red wine a day,
and live long. Should he drink the same
quantity daily Of good coffee he would be-
come an imbecile, a cripple, or die OF in
festival or lung disorders. San Francisco
Chronicle.